Report: Netanyahu Backed U.S.-Russia Chemical Weapons Deal for Syria

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem earlier this year. Photo: Israel GPO.

Ynet – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged US Secretary of State John Kerry last week to try to reach an agreement with Russia to seize Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal as an alternative to an American strike on the Assad regime, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

According to the newspaper, on Sept. 11 Kerry called Netanyahu, who said he believed Russia wasn’t bluffing and that a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis was possible. Israel shared US concerns that strikes against the regime in Damascus could strengthen rebels linked to al-Qaeda and allow them to take control of President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons arsenals, WSJ reported.